Double jacket means for feeding two liquids to a rotating combustion chamber



2 sheets-sheet i GODDARD ,l La@ 3l v R. H. DOUBLE JACKET MEANS FORFEEDING TWO LIQUIDS TO A ROTATING COMBUSTION CHAMBER July 25, 1950Filved oct. 17, 194s mill so L51 muy u8 H. GODDARD 2,516,462- DoUBLEJACKET MEANS EoR EEEDING Two LIQUIDS To A RoTATING coMBUsTIoN CHAMBERFiled Oct. 17, 1946 July 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E g,101 as V @HUA ,VEN 0 AQM' m www Patented July 25.1950

DOUBLE JACKET MEANS FEEDING TWO LIQUIDS T A' ROTATING COMBUSTION CHAMBERRobert H. Goddard, deceased, late of Annapolis, Md., by Esther C.Goddard, executrix, Paxton, Mass., assigner of one-half to The Danieland Florence Guggenheim Foundation, New York, N. Y., a corporation oi'New York Application October 17, 1946, Serial No. 703,881

3 Claims. (Cl. Gib-35.6)

i This invention relates to combustion chambers having open dischargenozzles and adapted for use in rockets and rocket craft. The inventionrelates more particularly to combustion chambers mounted to rotate abouta longitudinal axis during the operation of the chamber.

It is the general object of the invention to improve and simplify theconstruction shown in the prior Goddard application, which is now PatentNo. 2,479,829 issued August 23, 1949.

Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of improvedsealing means for the combustion liquid connections.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

Preferred forms of the invention are shown in the drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the improvedcombustion chamber;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional front elevation of the improvedsealing means;

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of a portion of a sealing disc;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of certain parts showninFig. l;

Fig. 5 is a partialsectional end view, taken alongthe line 5-5 in Fig.l;

Fig. 6 is a sectional front elevation of a' modified sealingconstruction;

Fig. l is a side elevation oi' a sealing disc;

Fig. 8 is a partial perspective view of a modified disc construction;and

Fig. 9 is a transverse section of a portion of the sealing disc shown inFig. 8.

Referring to Fig. 1, a rotatable combustion chamber C and nozzle N areshown mounted in bearings l0 and il and provided with a thrust bearingI2. The chamber C is in the form of reversed cones I5 and It, abuttingat their largest diameters and provided with axially extending coolingvanes la (Fig. 5) on their outer surfaces. Corresponding vanes I9 areprovided for the nozzle N.

The conical portion I6 of the rotating chamber C is provided with innerand outer jacket casings 22 and 24 which define inner and outer jacketspaces S and S. The jacket casings 22 and 2t are extended along theshaft 25 which supports that end of the chamber C which is opposite tothe nozzle N. Longitudinally extending vanes 2i and 21 corresponding tothe vanes Ilv are provided in the jacket spaces S and S' and asso- 2ciated partitions 28 and 29 are provided in the jacket space portionsalongside the shaft 25.

At their upper ends, the jacket casings 22 and 2| are joined to thechamber wall I6 as shown in Fig. 4, and spray openings 30 and 3| areprovided. The inner jacket space S preferablysupplies fuel through theopenings 3| in sprays substantially parallel to the axis of the chamber,and the outer jacketed space S' supplies an oxidizing I5 is notreenforced by the pressure of the combustion liquids in the jacketspaces S and S.

Special provision is made for supplying the combustion liquids to thejacket spaces S and S and for preventing leakage from the rotatingparts. Y

The liquid fuel is fed under pressure through a pipe 40 (Fig. l) to anannular passage or volute 4l surrounding a. stationary sealing housing42 which is provided with inwardly extending fixed inner and outerannular discs or partitions 43 and 44 (Fig. 2). Sealing discs 50, 5l, 52and 53 are mounted within the housing 42 and rotate with the shaft 25.The discs 50, 5| and 52 are mounted on the shaft 25 and the disc 53 ismounted on the inner jacket casing 22.

Each of the rotating Vdiscs is provided with outwardly spiralling ribs60 best shown in Fig. 3, and these ribs rotate with relatively closeclearances adjacent the stationary partitions 43 and M. The disc 52(Fig. 2) is provided with a series of ports or openings 62 through whichliquid entering the housing 42 from the volute 4| through an annularslot 53a can flow axially into the inner jacket space S.

The outwardly spiralling ribs 60 on the rotating discs 5l and 52 largelyprevent leakage from the feeding area between the inner fixed partitions43. The outer discs 50 and 53 provide supplementary sealing for anyliquid which may pass the discs 5| and sz and such nquid is drained offthrough a discharge pipe (Fig. 1).

A similar housing l0 is provided for the oxidizing liquid and receivessaid liquid through a feed pipe 1| (Fig. 1). Leakage Ais dischargedthrough a pipe 12. Three rotating ribbed discs M in the housing 'I0 aremounted 'on the inner jacket casing 22 and one disc 15 on the outerhousing 1l. The outer disc 'I4 has openings 'Ila (Fig. 2) into 3 theouter jacket space s'. The construction and operation is as previouslydescribed.

With this construction, combustion liquids may be delivered underpressure but without wasteful leakage through the jacket spaces 8 and 8'and the use of stuffing boxes or other mechanical packing is avoided,

Angularly disposed compressed air nozzles II (Fig. 1) may coact with theexternal vanes Il to start rotation of the combustion chamber, androtation may be maintained by suitable means, which, however, forms-nopart of the present invention.

The partitions 2l and 2l (Fig. 2) strengthen and support the cylindricalportions of the jacket casings 22 and 24 and deilne passages along whichthe combustion liquids ilow to the conical jacket spaces S and S'.

Having been thus described, the invention is not to be limites te thedetails herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, butwhat is claimed is:

1. A rotating combustion chamber having two opposed conical portionsboth coaxial with the axis of rotation of said chamber and abutting attheir sections of greatest diameter, an axial discharge nozzle for oneconical portion, a coaxial double jacket substantially enclosing theother conical portion and having inner and outer jacket spaces, means tofeed separate combustion liquids to said inner and outer jacket spaces,and associated spray openings from said Jacket spaces to said combustionchamber.

2. A rotating combustionl chamber having opposed conical portions, adischarge nozzle for one Q conical portion, a double jacket for theother A modified sealing construction is shown in Fig. 6, in which afixed housing 90 surrounds the shaft 8| which supports a rotatingcombustion chamber, not shown. A feed pipe I2 delivers liquid underpressure to the `housing l0, which housing is provided with enlargedsealing portions I3 and 94 at each side thereof.

A disc 95 is mounted on the shaft 9| and rotates in the housing portion93, and a similar disc 96 rotates in the housing portion $4. Each disc land 9i is provided with radial varies lill on its outer face, whichvanes rotate with limited clearance relative to the periphery and to theoutside end wall of each housing 93 and $4. The inner side walls of thehousings are provided with fixed radial vanes IUI which extend adjacentthe inside faces of the rotating discs 95 and 96. The

'disc 95 has a plurality of ports or openings il:

adjacent the shaft 9|, so that liquid from the housing. may ow throughthe disc $5 to the jacket space S2 between the shaft ll and an innerjacket casing |04. Fig. 7 shows a side eievation of the rotating disc $6with its radially extending vanes |00.

In Fig. 8, a similar disc H0 is shown, provided with vanes H2. The vanesIll are tapered to provide relatively narrow points adjacent the fixedhousing. The viscous drag of the liquid'at highA speed rotation isthereby reduced. The vanes H2 are preferably provided with fillets attheir bases `as shown in Fig. 9 for increased strength.

It will be understood that the feeding and sealing structure shown inFig. 6 may be duplicated as in Fig. 1. i

p to feed a second liquid to an outer jacket space,

conical portion having innerand outer jacket spaces. means to feedseparate combustion liquids to said inner and outer jacket spaces. andassociated spray openings from said jacket spaces to said combustionchamber, said openings being substantially atl the points of greatestradius of said jacket spaces.

3. A rotating combustion chamber having opposed conical portions, adischarge nozzle for one conical portion, a double jacket for the otherconical portion having inner and outer jacket spaces, means to feedseparate combustion liquids to said inner and outer `jacket spaces, andassociated spray openings from said jacket spaces to said combustionchamber, said openings being substantially at the points of greatestradius of said jacket spaces but being substantially spaced y inwardfrom the point of greatest radius of the combustion chamber.

ESTHER. C. GODDARD,

Number Name Date 2,127,865 Goddard Aug. 23,- 1938 2,407,852 Smith Sept.17,1946

. FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Austria Mar. 26. 1901

